Passing of a Brave
March 23rd, 2009 at 10:51 pm by John Murphy under News 4 Buffalo Sports
A sad note on the wire today, about the death of one of my favorites from the Buffalo Braves.
Howard “Butch” Komives died at his home in Toledo, Ohio on Sunday. He was 67-years old.
Komives (left) was a second round pick of the New York Knicks in 1963. He was a standout in college at Bowling Green, taking them to two MAC titles and leading the country in scoring as a senior, averaging almost 37-points per game.
I remember him as a veteran presence on a young Braves team in the 1972-73 season. This was Bob McAdoo’s rookie campaign, and the first season for the Braves great coach, Jack Ramsay. Komives was brought to Buffalo to stabilize the backcourt, play tough defense, and provide some grit to a smallish, young Braves lineup.
I will always recall one night game at the Aud, when “Butch” took care of one of McAdoo’s tormentors with two quick, subtle punches. It was the NBA equivalent of a hockey enforcer protecting the young star on the team, and no one did it better than Komives.
As the Aud comes down, slowly, painfully, seemingly piece-by-piece, I find myself thinking back to some of the lesser-known characters that passed through its’ doors.
Any other minor role playes that come to mind for you? Braves or Sabres; even college hoops? Let us know.
I’ll never forget the antics of Eddie “The Entertainer” Shack. He was a true entertainer. I especially remember that every so often when he thought he might have committed an infraction, he would skate away and hide behind the players on his bench and the referees would search and search for him until they found him and then they would finally call the penalty on him! It was as if he showed up on hockey night instead of wrestling night!
How about the Bandits??? In case you forgot, they played in the Aud from 1992-1996. Won a couple of championships there too — the team actually had a waiting list for season tickets in those days. Many role players on those teams…..Jim Veltman and Darris Kligour come to mind. Ross Cowie and Bill Gerie were solid in net. The list goes on and on.